"I had a good feeling all day and in the final climb, I told my teammates that I had the legs to battle for the stage win. They did an incredible job for me, all I had to do was following my lead out Boy van Poppel. I unfortunately lost his slipstream a little in the final kilometer, otherwise I might have finished close to the podium. This seventh place is a good result, even though I hoped to reward the team with a better result. It confirms that my body reacts well and it is a good sign for the next days. Tomorrow the hilly parcours will be pretty similar, but with the difference that the last straight is flat. If I manage to follow Boy and go all out in the sprint, I believe it is possible to finish on the podium."
